Broadway proposal clears environmental review hurdle

The Irvington Planning Board has determined Varma RE Development’s mixed-use proposal for the 4.2-acre Maxon property, at 76 North Broadway (Route 9), will not have a significant adverse effect on the environment and traffic. During a public meeting on June 3, the planning board also provided the project exemption from State Environmental Quality Review (SEQR), based on a new state law established in May.

The proposed project combines 53 residential rental units (six would qualify as moderate income and six as affordable) and an early education facility, consisting of 13 classrooms for between 155 and 176 children. The early education facility would operate under a franchise agreement with Primrose Schools, a self-described “national system of accredited private preschools that provides a premier early education and child care experience.” The plan also calls for the demolition of the 19th-century mansion known as Woodcliff Manor.

First introduced in the summer of 2024, the project has been contested by neighbors, some of whom hired legal counsel to challenge it. Katerine Zalantis, an attorney representing Varma, began the June 3 discussion by citing the “Let Them Build Law,” which was signed by Gov. Kathy Hochul on May 27 and provides exemptions for certain projects from requirements of environmental conservation law. The New York State government website states the law is meant to support building housing faster by “cutting red tape” and providing “exemptions from duplicative environmental review to accelerate housing development that is desperately needed and meets criteria that ensures it does not have significant environmental impacts.” The law does not supersede local environmental requirements, permitting, or local zoning.